Student wins $25,000 for new idea

Jordan Vanderham, a product design and manufacturing major, won $35,000 in two business competitions to develop his idea for a thermal energy conservation mask.

Vanderham won $25,000 November 12 at the Retail and Health Innovation Competition at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and won $10,000 at the 7th Annual Student Accelerate Michigan Innovation competition.

The Holland native said the mask is designed to enable workers in cold environments to breathe comfortable warm air. "The mask captures the heat and humidity you breathe out and stores it," he explained. "The mask conserves energy by warming and humidifying the air you breathe before it hits your lungs." 

Vanderham also represented his company, Orindi Ventures, in March 2016, when he pitched the mask idea at the GreenLight Business Model Competition in East Lansing, beating more than 20 other teams for the grand prize of $25,000.

Vanderham said he came up with the idea two years ago while walking in the cold. "My nose was red and running and I knew it would stay that way for a while after going inside," he said. "I started thinking about how the cold impacts people with asthma or workers who have to be outside in the cold for long periods of time, like industrial workers."

Vanderham researched similar masks online but said he didn't find any that solved his problem. He shared his idea with others to determine its viability and connected with Grand Valley's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

"I didn't know what a business plan was. At the center, I learned about the entrepreneurial process, how to present a product and the necessary steps to take for product development and marketing," he said.

Orindi Ventures includes Vanderham and two students from Kendall College of Art and Design: Tony Franco and Jared Seifert. The students have several mentors and advisors from Grand Valley, Kendall and the Grand Rapids entrepreneurship community. 

They are using Grand Rapids-based manufacturing companies to fill orders and their local strategic partners include Teknit, Tric Tool, Mission Design, World Class Prototypes and Quantum Silicones.

Vanderham said their primary advisors are Bo Parfet, an avid mountain climber; Zack Abbott, an Alaskan pipeline construction executive; and Tom Jackson, who helps with production equipment design. 

Vanderman said he should be ready to begin the patent application process in a few months.